Nicola Paltrinieri

Norwegian University of Science and Technology | NTNU · Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

In recent years, the adoption of liquid hydrogen (LH2) has increased significantly in industrial and transport applications, driven by its low carbon footprint, thereby aiding the fight against global warming. Additionally, its high volumetric energy density, compared to gaseous or compressed hydrogen, enhances hydrogen storage capabilities. Howeve...

Hydrogen is assuming a pivotal role in the energy sector, intending to lead the decarbonization and overcome the fossil fuel use. In evaluating its key applications, the role of hydrogen in mobility stands out. It could transform one of the most polluting sectors, drastically reducing emissions without changing the drivers' needs. In this perspecti...

Natural hazards hold the potential to impact technological infrastructure, triggering multiple disasters and exposing both the population and the environment at risk. The continuous rise in carbon emissions from anthropogenic activities has led to an escalating climate change crisis, contributing to increased frequency and severity of Natech (Natur...

Power utilities are continuously under high pressure to ensure the best performance of their grid. Nevertheless, power outages continue to be periodically observed. This paper assesses the applicability and implications of the Three-Phases method for optimized dataset selection in dynamic risk analysis, through a case study focusing on vegetation a...

Although technically challenging, effective, safe, and economical transport is crucial for enabling a widespread rollout of hydrogen technologies. A promising option to transport large amounts of hydrogen lies in employing retrofitted natural gas pipelines. Nevertheless, H2-rich environments tend to degrade pipeline steels, reducing their load-bear...

Liquid hydrogen (LH2) has gathered interest as an eco-friendly energy carrier for marine transportation, avoiding carbon emissions and supporting sustainable shipping. However, LH2 intrinsic flammable characteristics pose safety concerns towards people and assets. Ensuring the effectiveness of safety barriers is paramount in preventing accidents an...

In an era marked by a growing effort towards environmental sustainability, the development of the hydrogen value chain is crucial for the transformation of the energy landscape. From road transport to aviation and maritime applications, numerous investments and ongoing projects aim at implementing clean hydrogen solutions to reshape entire industri...

The shipping sector is responsible for approximately 4.5% of global emissions, and hydrogen was indicated as a clean and sustainable energy carrier capable of mitigating its environmental impact. The relatively high energy density of liquid hydrogen makes cryogenic storage an attractive option for maritime transport. Large-scale hydrogen bunkering...

Hydrogen is widely regarded as a key option for the replacement of fossil fuels in the near future. Despite compression being the most well-known and widespread technology for hydrogen storage and transportation, liquid hydrogen (LH2) is preferable for large-scale applications where a greater energy density is crucial to reach the desired storage c...

Hydrogen is an environmentally friendly fuel that can facilitate the upcoming energy transition. The development of an extensive infrastructure for hydrogen transport and storage is crucial. However, the mechanical properties of structural materials are significantly degraded in H2 environments, leading to early component failures. Pipelines are de...

Recognising the factors that shape the public acceptance of hydrogen refuelling facilities is essential for gaining social support for the widespread implementation of hydrogen infrastructure. This study applies a cross-national research perspective to investigate the public acceptance of hydrogen refuelling facilities using stated-preference surve...

Technological accidents involving hazardous releases due to natural hazards are known as Natech. These high-impact and low-probability scenarios typically involve large areas, causing simultaneous releases and leading to on-and off-site secondary cascading events. Thus, preventing and mitigating their consequences is fundamental to implement safe a...

Hydrogen is the leading candidate for achieving the goal of decarbonization and making countries energy-independent in the long term. However, spreading hydrogen in different sectors faces various issues, including safety: its flammability characteristics and the ability to permeate and embrittle most metallic materials raise concerns. Safety funct...

The objective of the present study is to compare levels of perceived risk, safety of hydrogen technologies and local acceptance of HFS in three countries, taking into account potential differences in terms of sociodemographic variables. A questionnaire survey was carried out in a web-based format. Data was collected in December 2022. 1,000 response...

Hydrogen is a clean and versatile energy carrier with the potential to usher in a new era of sustainable road transport. The global adoption of fuel cell-powered vehicles is rapidly rising, and 814 refueling stations were already in operation worldwide at the end of 2022. However, the highly flammable nature of hydrogen gas and the capacity to perm...

The utilization of hydrogen as a clean energy carrier has gained significant momentum in recent years. Hydrogen transport via pipeline may support the global transition towards clean energy sources, fostering the development of the hydrogen value chain by using the existing infrastructure. However, this idea faces numerous challenges, particularly...

This research provides a structured review of studies that utilize Artificial Intelligence for safety and reliability. In particular, it focuses on Machine Learning techniques to perform fault detection and diagnosis, anomaly detection, system prognosis, reliability analysis, and risk assessment of engineering-related systems across the industry. R...

Renewable hydrogen is emerging as the key to a sustainable energy transition with multiple applications and uses. In the field of transport, in addition to fuel cell vehicles, it is necessary to develop an extensive network of hydrogen refueling stations (hereafter HRSs). The characteristics and properties of hydrogen make ensuring the safe operati...

This work proposes a data fusion approach for quickest fault detection and localization within industrial plants via wireless sensor networks. Two approaches are proposed, each exploiting different network architectures. In the first approach, multiple sensors monitor a plant section and individually report their local decisions to a fusion center....

The detrimental effects induced by hydrogen on different materials—including steels—are a well-known and studied phenomenon. In the last century, several research papers focusing on hydrogen damages were published, including investigations concerning the hydrogen impact on the crack growth rate in steels subjected to cyclic loading. However, the pa...

In recent years, the adoption of liquid hydrogen (LH2) in industrial and transport applications is becoming increasingly widespread. The high volumetric energy density of LH2 compared to gaseous or compressed hydrogen allows for efficient storage of the fuel. In particular, LH2 is gaining success in the maritime sector because it allows to reduce c...

Hydrogen has great potential on the path towards decarbonization of the energy and transport sectors and can mitigate the urgent issue of global warming. It can be sustainably produced through water electrolysis with potentially zero emissions, and efficiently used (e.g., in fuel cell systems). Despite its environmental advantages, hydrogen-metal i...

Hydrogen can be the key to decarbonisation, even for energy-intensive industries. The glass sector, for instance, burns natural gas to reach high temperatures necessary to melt the raw materials, leading to a considerable amount of CO2 emissions. Introducing hydrogen in a new sector brings many challenges in technological development, but of no les...

The issue of global warming imposes a change of paradigm in the energy sector to mitigate the human impact on the environment. In this perspective, hydrogen can be produced through water electrolysis and used in fuel-cell systems with near-zero pollutant emissions. Nevertheless, the distribution system represents one of the main bottlenecks for a f...

The need to address climate change and global warming is overgrowing: decarbonising the industrial and energy sectors, which are significant contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, has become a top priority. In this regard, hydrogen is eligible to be a leading player in the energy transition process as its combustion is carbon neutral. It is expe...

The urgent need to mitigate climate change has placed decarbonisation at the forefront of global energy policy. Among other sectors, industrial high-temperature heat is very energy-demanding (1280 Mtoe/year in 2018 (IEA, 2019)) and responsible for 1.1GtCO2/year of direct emissions (IEA, 2019). Hydrogen has the potential to play a pivotal role in re...

The roadmap of the European Green Deal foresees a wide spreading of hydrogen technologies in the following decade, setting a goal of 10 million tons of domestic, renewable hydrogen production by 2030 (European Commission, 2019). However, the unique thermodynamic characteristics of hydrogen and its possible future implementation in densely populated...

The growing interest towards hydrogen technologies and their implementation in the hydrocarbon and chemical process industry makes maintenance planning of storage and transport equipment an emerging safety aspect. With respect to high-pressure working equipment, Risk-Based Inspection methodology (RBI) aims at minimizing the risk of loss of containm...

Inspection planning, maintainability and safety aspects are yet to be consolidated topics of hydrogen technologies in most of their applications, including the marine sector. The implementation of electricity in the marine sector is almost only appealing for ferries, which in many cases have daily access to recharge stations. In addition, the clima...

Hydrogen has been largely indicated as a promising long-term solution for energy transport and storage, thanks to its near-zero environmental impact at the end-use site. On the other side, it can permeate and embrittle most metallic materials, thus resulting in sudden component failures in the hydrogen industry. Maintenance activities have a promin...

Hydrogen has the potential to channel a large amount of renewable energy from the production sites to the end users. Nevertheless, safety aspects represent the major bottleneck for its widespread utilization. The knowledge of past hydrogen-related undesired events is fundamental to avoid the occurrence of similar accidents in the future. Databases...

Hydrogen is an emerging energy carrier with inherent environmental benefits. It has the potential to decarbonize industrial applications that require high-grade heat. In addition, hydrogen allows centralized clean energy production and distribution to remote end-use sites. For a smooth transition to hydrogen technologies, it is important to guarant...

Industry is stepping into its 4.0 phase by implementing and increasingly relying on cyber-technological systems. Wider networks of sensors may allow for continuous monitoring of industrial process conditions. Enhanced computational power provides the capability of processing the collected “big data”. Early warnings can then be picked and lead to su...

Current operational safety training methods for the chemical process industry typically focus on acquiring and evaluating knowledge and technical know-how about safety measures and procedures. Although these are valuable training tools, they present certain important drawbacks in terms of availability, session time and cost, knowledge transfer eval...

Hydrogen could gradually replace fossil fuels, mitigating the human impact on the environment. However, equipment exposed to hydrogen is subjected to damaging effects due to H 2 absorption and permeation through metals. Hence, inspection activities are necessary to preserve the physical integrity of the containment systems, and the risk-based (RBI)...

Hydrogen is widely considered a promising energy carrier capable of mitigating human environmental impact. Nevertheless, safety aspects represent one of the major bottlenecks for the widespread utilization of hydrogen technologies. Industrial equipment operating in hydrogen environments is prone to hydrogen-induced damages, which may manifest throu...

Hydrogen is considered a promising energy carrier to achieve the ambitious target of a zero-emission society in the forthcoming years. Despite its environmental advantages, hydrogen-induced material damages represent a serious safety concern. Hence, inspection and maintenance activities must be performed to guarantee the equipment's integrity. The...

Hydrogen has not only the potential of tackling climate-related issues by replacing fossil fuels, but it also plays a main role in the energy transition which will have several geopolitical implications. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), relations between countries and communities will be transformed by "a new energy a...

Hydrogen is a clean substitute for hydrocarbon fuels in the marine sector. Liquid hydrogen (LH2) can be used to move and store large amounts of hydrogen. This novel application needs further study to assess the potential risk and safety operation. A recent study of LH2 large-scale release tests was conducted to replicate spills of LH2 inside the sh...

Learning from the past is essential to improve safety and reliability in the chemical industry. In the context of Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0, where Artificial Intelligence and IoT are expanding throughout every industrial sector, it is essential to determine if an artificial learner may exploit historical accident data to support a more efficien...

Hydrogen has the potential to make countries energetically self-sufficient and independent in the long term. Nevertheless, its extreme combustion properties and its capability of permeating and embrittling most metallic materials produce significant safety concerns. The Hydrogen Incidents and Accidents Database 2.0 (HIAD 2.0) is a public repository...

The increasing interactions of technical and human elements in modern systems pose new challenges for safety management, demanding for approaches capable of complementing techno-centric investigations with social-oriented analyses. Therefore, the reduction of hazardous events frequency in industrial processes and the mitigation of their severity is...

Recently, international concern around global warming issue is growing rapidly. Authorities and organizations are implementing strategic tasks towards climate change effects mitigation in different economic areas. Among the various energy solutions, hydrogen has been recognized as a valid alternative to pursue ambitious climate policies. However, h...

After the Seveso disaster occurred more than 40 years ago, there has been an increasing awareness of the potential impacts that similar accident events can occur in a wide range of process establishments, where the handling and production of hazardous substances pose a real threat to society and the environment. In these industrial sites denominate...

Hydrogen as an energy carrier can help mitigate global warming in the forthcoming years. However, equipment exposed to hydrogen must cope with the potentially damaging effect inherent to hydrogen entry into materials which may be particularly detrimental for metals. Inspection procedures and maintenance activities are required to preserve the integ...

Hydrogen produced from electrolysis, often referred to as green Hydrogen, is expected to play a key role in achieving an economy with net zero emissions by 2050, especially as an alternative fuel in the transport sector. The use of Hydrogen as an energy carrier calls for the establishment of a value chain for Hydrogen, which allows for safe distrib...

This work tackles the distributed detection & lo-calization of carbon dioxide (CO2) release from storage tanks caused by the opening of pressure relief devices via inexpensive sensor devices in an industrial context. A realistic model of the dispersion is put forward in this paper. Both full-precision and rate-limited setups for sensors are conside...

This work investigates the distributed detection of carbon dioxide (CO2) release from storage tanks caused by the opening of pressure relief devices via inexpensive sensor devices in an industrial context. A realistic model of the dispersion is put forward in this paper. Both full-precision and rate-limited setups for sensors are considered, and fu...

Hydrogen can play a central role in the energy transition thanks to its unique properties. However, its low density is one of the main drawbacks. The liquefaction process can drastically increase its density up to virtually 71 kg m-3 at atmospheric pressure and-253°C (NIST, 2019). The safety knowledge gap on physical explosions is still broad in th...

Hydrogen can be adopted as a clean alternative to hydrocarbons fuels in the marine sector. Liquid hydrogen (LH2) is an efficient solution to transport and store hydrogen onboard of large ships. LH2 will be implemented in the maritime field in the near future. Additional safety knowledge is required since this is a new application and emerging risk...

The adoption of hydrogen has been largely indicated as a feasible solution to support society in achieving its ambitious targets for a low-carbon future. The increased knowledge in liquefaction techniques has encouraged the study of technological solutions based on liquid hydrogen (LH2). Moreover, handling and distribution under cryogenic condition...

Climate change has contributed to an increasing frequency and severity of natural hazards accidents over recent years, and the increasing trend is expected to continue and escalate. Globally, demographics are changing and urbanization, population growth and increasing coastal populations make societies more exposed and vulnerable to extreme weather...

Industrial socio-technical systems are in a phase of increasing implementation of cyber-technological systems. Constant monitoring of technical and operational performances is becoming possible through widespread use of sensors and other advanced techniques. Enhanced computational power allow for collection and process of “big data.” However, the q...

Large-scale experiments have been performed to investigate the possible consequences of realistic amounts of liquified hydrogen (LH2) encountering water. The experiments aimed at simulating an accidental release of LH2 onto water, for instance during the fuelling of a ship. For liquified natural gas (LNG), it has been demonstrated that physical exp...

Experiments have been performed to determine the consequences of a storage vessel containing liquified hydrogen (LH2) is engulfed by a fire. The tests were performed at the Test Site Technical Safety of the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und –prüfung (BAM) in Germany within a research cooperation between BAM and Gexcon as part of the SH2IFT pr...

Hydrogen is one of the most suitable candidates in replacing heavy hydrocarbons. Liquefaction of fuels is one of the most effective processes to increase their low density. This is critical especially in large-scale or mobile applications such as in the maritime or aeronautical fields. A potential loss of integrity of the cryogenic storage equipmen...

Risk assessment and management are some of the major tasks of urban power-grid management. The growing amount of data from, e.g., prediction systems, sensors, and satellites has enabled access to numerous datasets originating from a diversity of heterogeneous data sources. While these advancements are of great importance for more accurate and trust...

This paper is written in response to the paper “How green is blue hydrogen?” by R. W. Howarth and M. Z. Jacobson. It aims at highlighting and discussing the method and assumptions of that paper, and thereby providing a more balanced perspective on blue hydrogen, which is in line with current best available practices and future plant specifications...

Dynamic Risk Analysis (DRA) approaches are virtuous processes enabling the improvement of state-of-the-art techniques for risk calculation in industrial infrastructures. However, they require the existence of an appropriate architecture enabling end-to-end processing of information, which has not yet been defined in practice. This paper aims at dis...

Learning from past mistakes is crucial to prevent the reoccurrence of accidents involving dangerous substances. Nevertheless, historical accident data are rarely used by the industry, and their full potential is largely unexpressed. In this setting, this study set out to take advantage of improvements in data science and Machine Learning to exploit...

Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) and process safety are traditionally separated by a fuzzy perimeter, and the need to adopt different management approaches is emphasised in the literature. However, OSH and process safety complement rather than replace each other, and their integration may achieve total safety excellence of organisations. The ex...